2008 Woodie Awards
Response to Phil Gengler's Letter to the Editor
Michael Lutkenhouse
Issue date: 9/14/06 Section: Campus News
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Dear Mr. Gengler:
I wanted to thank you for taking the time out of your day to take an interest in the undergraduate student life here at Stevens however in glancing over your letter as presented in September 8th edition of The Stute I had a few issue's that I feel must be addressed.
First and foremost, Katie Hibner, the Editor-in-Chief of The Stute, and you have been romantically involved for quite some time. The fact that you did not find it to be a conflict of interest, and did not find a need to disclose this to the readers of The Stute is troubling to me.
Secondly, I find that it is interesting to note that just a week earlier, you had been listed as a staff member in The Stute's staff box. While it's admirable that you have always shown an interest in remaining involved with The Stute after graduation, it seems fairly easy to see that your involvement was at the very least in part due to your undisclosed relationship. My point however is not solely that, but rather that as a staff member it would have been appropriate for you to have written an editorial presenting your case as a writer rather than writing it as a letter to the editor, which does not indicate your involvement with The Stute's publication. Your letter to the editor presents you as an unattached alumni wishing to express a concern about the current events at Stevens.
Your assertion that the Castle Point Journal will be responsible for the downturn in journalism at this school is insulting and again ignoring the evidence in the same issue your article was printed. That very week we printed 11 articles addressing student life on campus with a total of 16 articles being written by students. A quick count of The Stute's content shows 10 articles being written by students with 6 articles addressing student life. Stories exclusively covered by the Castle Point Journal included the Riverside Parking Lot, River Terrace emergency exit, an update on Babbio construction plans and the opening of America's Cup.
I wanted to thank you for taking the time out of your day to take an interest in the undergraduate student life here at Stevens however in glancing over your letter as presented in September 8th edition of The Stute I had a few issue's that I feel must be addressed.
First and foremost, Katie Hibner, the Editor-in-Chief of The Stute, and you have been romantically involved for quite some time. The fact that you did not find it to be a conflict of interest, and did not find a need to disclose this to the readers of The Stute is troubling to me.
Secondly, I find that it is interesting to note that just a week earlier, you had been listed as a staff member in The Stute's staff box. While it's admirable that you have always shown an interest in remaining involved with The Stute after graduation, it seems fairly easy to see that your involvement was at the very least in part due to your undisclosed relationship. My point however is not solely that, but rather that as a staff member it would have been appropriate for you to have written an editorial presenting your case as a writer rather than writing it as a letter to the editor, which does not indicate your involvement with The Stute's publication. Your letter to the editor presents you as an unattached alumni wishing to express a concern about the current events at Stevens.
Your assertion that the Castle Point Journal will be responsible for the downturn in journalism at this school is insulting and again ignoring the evidence in the same issue your article was printed. That very week we printed 11 articles addressing student life on campus with a total of 16 articles being written by students. A quick count of The Stute's content shows 10 articles being written by students with 6 articles addressing student life. Stories exclusively covered by the Castle Point Journal included the Riverside Parking Lot, River Terrace emergency exit, an update on Babbio construction plans and the opening of America's Cup.
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